Business in Focus interviewed Vice President of the company, Stella Zhang:

1. When did you set up business in Dominica?

A: Dragon Windows was officially registered in November 2001 in Dominica as Construction Material and Services Ltd., and the first set of products of Dragon Windows was manufactured in February 2002.
2. How many employees do you employ? How many are Dominicans?

A: Dragon Windows currently employs 24 employees; more than 70% of them are Dominicans.

3. What are the products your company supplies?

A: We manufacture UPVC windows, doors, railings, fencing, partitions and other products including eight major series of windows and doors with more than 30 different designs, four series of railings and fencing with more than 10 different styles; we specialize in providing customized solutions and building to fit every customer’s specifications.

4. What sets you apart from other companies who supply similar products?

A: 10-year local and regional experience in construction-related supplies provides us with in-depth knowledge of the industry as well as the market; “quality comes first” and “customer oriented” principles has always guided the various aspects of the company’s operation; establishing and maintaining a reputable, trustful and reliable brand is what Dragon Windows pursues; expertise in professional design and individualized UPVC window and door solutions ensures that Dragon Windows provides not only good quality UPVC products at the most cost effective prices, but also build a healthy, long-term customer relationship with our professional post-sales services.

5. What other markets do you supply?

A: Since it was founded, Dragon Windows has targeted the entire Caribbean market as we have advantages of the CARICOM Community; the strategic plans to explore the export markets have been carried out step by step and we have achieved our goals with 30% sales generated by the overseas orders and 30%-35% of the products are exported. So far, Dragon Windows export to many Caribbean countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, etc.

6. What is it like doing business in Dominica?

A: Generally speaking, it is nice but challenging doing business in Dominica. It is nice in sense of dealing with friendly people, and customers are reasonable, so mutual trust and understanding usually isn’t difficult to be arrived at. On the other hand, running a business especially a manufacturing company such as Dragon Windows is full of challenges. First of all, what we look at is a small market with a small population; volume production is hard to be realized. Secondly, we have to maintain reasonable pricing for the sake of customers while keep fighting against continuous increasing costs including materials which come over through long distance transportation and utilities on which expenses go up beyond our control.

Thirdly, experienced industrial workers are no where to be found for us, getting good apprentices and training them to skilled technicians with positive working attitude and team spirit is another challenge which we have been facing and coping with since the company was founded. Fortunately, Dragon Windows has developed our unique apprenticeship system through which we have gained all our local production line employees, and some of them have been with the company for almost ten years; those who were trained but didn’t get through also turned out more knowledgeable and more marketable in their future job hunting.

Last but not least, establishing a unique corporate culture which absorbs good sides from different regional cultures is not easy at all. Luckily for us, Dragon Windows has worked through all these years to develop our positive Dragon Corporate Culture among employees who originate from multi-national backgrounds, but communicate harmoniously, coordinate helpfully and work efficiently as a team which in our employees’ words is more like a big “family” than a company.7. Based on our research, your material comes straight from China. How good of a quality are your products?

A: Quality is our life line. Dragon Windows ensures the quality of our products starting from selecting the highly qualified suppliers for raw materials. We import our UPVC profiles and hardware parts directly from branded, larger-scaled manufacturers in China. We believe that by avoiding in-between agencies and dealing with manufacturers, more control on quality could be maintained. For instance, the company which supplies our UPVC profiles is one of the largest enterprise group of chemical building materials and machinery in China; the company has fixed assets of USD40 million and occupies 50 acres in factory size and it has obtained ISO9001, 9002 quality certification in 1997 and CE certification in 2006. Its products are international standards and have been exported to many countries in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Speaking of “how good of a quality our products are”, I would quote a comment from a very recent customer of ours: “I do recommend your company and its products and also its excellent service record. I must also admit that the products can pretty much sell themselves because they are of very high quality.” (Quoted from the email of Mr. E. D. Raoul of St. Lucia, who purchased all his windows for his new house in St. Lucia from Dragon Windows in April 2010.)

8. What is UPVC window? What makes it different from other materials, such as metal or wood?

A: UPVC is unplasticised (rigid) poly vinyl chloride. With its many favourable features, UPVC windows and doors have been the top choice of many people for over 20 years. Now, thanks to modern science and years of research, the development of UPVC profiles have become the most sophisticated substances available for windows and doors. Experts and consumers choose Dragon UPVC windows because they are tough, durable, offer design flexibility, cost effective and require little maintenance. Plus, our double glazed UPVC windows offer excellent thermal and acoustic properties.

UPVC Window Advantages Vs Window of Other Materials

Feature Material

UPVC Window

Timber Window

Metal Window

Resist Impact

√

×

√

Extremely Durable

√

×

△

Energy Saving

√

×

×

Sound Insulation

√

×

×

Design Capabilities

√

△

×

Water Proof

√

×

×

Weather Proof

√

×

×

Termite Proof

√

×

√

Rot Proof

√

×

×

Borer Proof

√

×

√

Fire Resistance

√

×

√

Low Maintenance

√

×

×

Cost Effective

√

×

×

Notes: “√”: have the feature; “△”: partially have the feature; “×”: don’t have the feature

The purpose of this feature is to showcase businesses in Dominica to the local and international market, so readers can know a little bit more about their products, services and history. This is also a way of helping businesses in Dominica to strengthen the image of their product and boost sales.
How do I get my business featured?

Any business can be featured – once you have at least a one-month advertising ongoing campaign with us, we will send a reporter to do a feature on your business, or you can do it yourself and send us your photos and article for publication on our homepage and in our special section. There is no cost associated with producing the article and
photos.
How do I make contact?

Contact us at 275-3587 or dnoads@gmail.com

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of
DominicaNewsOnline.com/Duravision Inc. All comments are approved by DominicaNewsOnline.com
before they are posted. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view,
but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

violate or infringe the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or include personal attacks

are abusive, profane or offensive

contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law

promote hatred of any kind

refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty

It is a Asian owned business but! it’s not in a Asian Country, it’s on a Caribbean Island, so they have to employ the Islanders. If we went to an Asian Country to live and work they would never give us preference over their own people, we would be lucky to even get a job… As the owner said 70% of the employees are Dominicans, so the other 30% must be Aliens then.

DNO you guys are providing a fantastic service for small enterprises. Congrats to the owners, showing your
trust and belief in Dominica. Nice to see all these people employed. The next step would be support from the public buying local, supporting what is made in Dominica, showing and giving other investors an example as to how local business are welcomed and can be a profitable investment in Dominica.

Follow Us

This site uses cookies to provide a better user experience. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Service. Your use of DominicaNewsOnline.com is subject to these policies and terms. Find out more.